Uncharted Territory
by SpyKid18
Summary: For as long as he can remember, Dr. Spencer Reid's lovelife has been non-existent.  And that's how he likes it.  With one spilled coffee, however, things are about to get complicated.  Team-centric with Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first CM fic. Recently got into the show and absolutely love the character of Reid. In fact, I love them all. What I did notice, though, is that Reid gets very little lovin' over there. I know there was Lila-but I wasn't the biggest fan. Therefore, I found him someone better! Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter One

Dr. Spencer Reid sat at his usual table in the back of the coffee house. It was mid-morning, twenty minutes or so until he would have to head to Quantico. He was reading his book of the day-never took him longer than that to finish-and enjoying the rare time that he had to himself. He scanned one page and then the next, turning it over to continue. As he delved into a new chapter he felt someone approaching. He didn't bother to look up, thinking it perfectly natural that someone would come to claim the spare table beside him, although he did momentarily begrudge the invasion of his solitude. Moment gone, though, he paid little attention to whomever was joining him. This changed rather promptly when said person tripped and spilled their entire drink onto his charcoal pants.

"Shit," someone breathed out. When he looked up he saw that the voice belonged to a woman who appeared to be roughly his age. She had dark brown hair, wound into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Equally dark eyes were wide with disbelief. If he were to profile her, he would declare her exactly the type of person to unintentionally spill their drinks. She had a wad of napkins in her hand and thrust them out toward him hurriedly, spewing a line of apologies while her lower lip trembled. He took the napkins and she sat heavily at the table beside him.

"I am so sorry," she said for what he counted to be the eighth time. "I can be such a klutz sometime."

"It's fine," he said, paying more attention to his pants than her. "It'll dry."

"I can't believe this," she sighed. "I finally work up the courage to come over here and talk to you, and I spill my damn drink." He looked up at her in confusion and said, "Excuse me?"

She looked positively downtrodden as she said, "For weeks I've been trying to pep talk myself into approaching you. And of course I blow it." She saw his narrowed, confused eyes and admitted, "I've noticed you." His gaze widened slightly and she said, "Not in a bad way! Gosh, first I assault you and then I creep you out."

"You've noticed me?" he repeated, still not fully understanding what she means. He couldn't remember doing anything out of the ordinary to draw attention. He hadn't slipped or made a similar spectacle of himself.

"I come here often," she explained quickly. "And I notice things. You're always here in the mornings around the same time. You sit back here with your book."

"That hardly stands out," Reid said.

"But it does. Most people are here with friends, or if they're alone they're typing away at their computers or are on their phone. You just have your book. It's refreshing."

"Refreshing?"

"And you have good taste."

"In books?"

"And ties." Her cheeks colored and she quickly added, "Not that I really notice that. Just, uh, once."

Logically, Reid knew she would have to have noticed more than once in order to determine his good taste, but his mind was still processing-a rare occurrence-so he kept that to himself. Instead he remained silent until she awkwardly held her hand in front of him and said, "My name is Cait. Figure I should introduce myself after ruining your pants."

"Spencer Reid," he replied, shaking her hand. He noticed that she had a firm grasp, something that ran contrary to her previous erratic behavior.

"Well, now that I have properly mortified myself I will let you get back to your book. It was, uh, a pleasure to meet you."

She swiftly rose from the table and moved to the other side of the coffee house. He saw that she was muttering to herself, shaking her head while she pulled a book from her large purse. His gaze lingered for a moment more before he returned to his book, thinking that she was a strange girl and that wet pants were rather uncomfortable. After several chapters, he looked down at his watch and saw that it was time to head to the BAU. He stashed the book back in his messenger bag and finished off the rest of his coffee. Standing up, he hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and headed for the exit. His gaze naturally found hers as he neared the door. While he had a frantic inner moment of deciding whether or not to acknowledge her, she settled the issue by quickly turning her eyes to her table. Letting out a breath of relief, he left the coffee house.

CM-CM-CM

When he arrived at Quantico the first order of business was changing his pants. Morgan caught him carrying the clean pair into the bathroom and smirked as he said, "Changing at work, huh? Someone had a good night."

"No," Reid corrected. "I had coffee spilled on me this morning. My night was average."

"Right," Morgan said with a wink. "That's what they all say."

"What? Who is _they_?"

"He's joking Reid," Prentiss supplied, shaking her head slightly. "Go change your pants."

Reid's face held a mixture of confusion and relief as he turned toward the bathroom. He slipped off the soiled pants and pulled on the other pair. Looking in the mirror briefly on his way out, he frowned at the fact that the other pair had matched better. If anything, Spencer Reid was a fastidious dresser, matching all the way to his socks.

He left the bathroom and joined his team where they were discussing possible cases. JJ had a few that varying officials had sent to her. If he were being honest, none of them sounded particularly promising. He noticed within his first few weeks with the FBI that fledgling police stations had a proclivity for sending their unsolved cases straight to the source. Whether it was worthy of such high consideration usually was not part of the equation. It was just a high reaching hope that someone behind the pearly gates of Quantico would take interest. More times than not, they didn't.

After dismissing a good portion of the cases, one struck Hotch as being unusual. A crop of child abductions spanning ten years in an underpopulated area in Illinois. The incidents were spaced across the time span but hailed from an alarmingly concentrated area. He told JJ to request the files and for Garcia to start looking into other open missing children cases from the area. They were given their individual tasks to pursue, and then they split up. Once the files were sent over, Reid worked on setting up a geographical profile with Prentiss. All the missing children were within a 250 feet area, bordering an Interstate highway. The dates of disappearance fell on similar days every three months. A pattern.

The BAU had found their next case.

CM-CM-CM

When Reid went to the coffee house the next morning, he found himself standing in line behind the girl from the previous morning. He didn't know whether he should say hello or if ignoring was the best route. He settled on feigning ignorance while he awkwardly cleared his throat. He didn't expect her to notice anything-people cleared their throat all the time-but she turned back and her eyes widened slightly.

"Hi," he said out of reflex.

"Hello," she said softly. "How-how are you?"

"Uh, good," he said. He didn't see a need to say anything further, but the expectant look on her face said otherwise. Slowly he added, "In need of coffee."

She smiled. "Me too. I promise not to spill it on you this time."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that," he said, chuckling lightly. "My-uh-coworkers got the wrong idea when I had to change at work."

"Sorry about that." The line moved forward and it was her turn to order. She asked for a simple black coffee and then turned impulsively toward Reid. "How about I buy you your coffee? I really do feel bad about yesterday and this will make me feel better."

He had to smile slightly at her turning what should be a virtuous act into one more selfish. It was to make _her_ feel better, not make up for the previous incident. There was so much at fault with that he could barely figure out where to start. "You don't have to."

"No, I insist," she pressed. "What do you want?"

She seemed set on getting him a drink and he reasoned that no real harm could come from the friendly gesture. Besides, he had been brought up to be respectful-particularly of the opposite sex-and such a dogged refusal of her offer would be rude. He relented, "Black coffee for me, too."

"Small."

"I'm getting you a medium," she said decisively, giving him a small grin before turning back to the barrista and repeating the order. After she paid, the barrista filled their orders and handed over the coffee.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sit with you," Cait said, looking up at Reid. "I've traumatized you enough for one week."

"I'm actually leaving," Reid said. They were heading to Illinois in about an hour. He had only stopped to grab coffee. "But thanks for the coffee."

"No problem," she said, beginning to shift uncomfortably. He realized that she was possibly as disoriented by their exchanges as he was. "Well, nice seeing you again."

"You too." She offered him what appeared to be a cross between a wave and a curtsy-perhaps even a combination of the two-and then padded off to her table. He watched her for a moment and then turned on his heel, taking a sip of coffee. He found himself thinking about her on his walk to Quantico. Quickly he banished all such thoughts. There wasn't time for such silly thoughts, not when they were about to go after a child abductor. Pushing away all unnecessary thoughts, he cleared his mind and prepared himself for whatever horror awaited.

Still, he shelved one minor thought, at the back of his mind. After all of this was over, he had something interesting to come back to.

**A/N: Thoughts? Do you like Cait? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: New chapter! I am so glad that you guys liked Cait. And Reid, of course, but I'm pretty sure you all liked him before reading this ;) Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

Making Plans

Cait noticed when he was gone. Not that she was looking or anything. She just noticed that his table was empty some mornings. Others it was occupied by people she didn't recognize. She found it sort of funny that she thought of the table as his. He owned this tangible object and when anyone else sat there it seemed inexplicably wrong. They were not Spencer Reid.

Spencer Reid.

She liked that she knew his name now. It gave her constant inner chatter regarding him more purpose. No longer was he just the boy with the vest and tie. The boy with the book. He had a name and she felt almost privileged to know it. The few days of absence stretched longer. Seven days. Eight.

Not that she was counting.

* * *

><p>The Illinois case took longer than expected. The unsub managed to evade the team for several days, leaving a false trail of credit card charges that led them miles from his actual location. They got him in the end, though. They always did.<p>

They returned to Quantico and bid their time before the next case. Reid scheduled an interview with a prisoner at a nearby prison. The guy was behind bars for murdering three women for no reason. He claimed that the women had done nothing to provoke him, to trigger the homicidal tick. They were just there and there was no rhyme or reason. Reid knew this was wrong. There was always a reason.

Morgan was coming along for the interview and they stopped at the coffee shop on their way. Reid had been up late the night before reading up on the prisoner, and he had the harried look of an overworked student to prove it. Morgan simply liked a good cappuccino.

There was no line and they put in their orders quickly and efficiently. They had things to do, after all. They moved over to wait for their drinks and Reid felt his stomach twist like a rag being rid of water when he recognized the lone woman standing at the counter. She was clearly waiting for her drink, tapping some indiscernible tune on the granite counter. He could tell when she felt his gaze, her shoulders tensing as she looked back tentatively. He noticed that her shoulders relaxed when she saw him.

"Spencer," she said with a shy grin. Beside him, Morgan smirked at someone using Reid's first name. It was done so rarely at the office-only JJ, really.

"Hello Cait," he said with a perfunctory nod. Her eyes slid over to Morgan and he quickly said, "This is my coworker Derek Morgan."

"Well hello there," Derek said smoothly, reaching forward and grasping her hand. He oozed charm as he remarked, "Wonderful to meet you. So, how do you and," he paused for a second and grinned toward Reid, "_Spencer_, know each other?"

"I spilled my drink on him," she said simply.

Derek chuckled, nodding his head at the memory of Reid rushing into the bathroom, clutching a pair of pants. "So, that was you, huh?"

"Yep."

"You had my boy all worked up."

She blushed at the obvious innuendo sputtered, "Well…I…um…"

She was obviously flustered and Derek took pity on her as he asked, "So, you come here often?"

She visibly relaxed at the change in topic and nodded, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, every morning. I own the bookstore across the street with a friend of mine. I come here to do some work before the afternoon rush comes in. And…I just told you my life story."

"Not even close," Reid interjected. "You mentioned nothing about your childhood."

She pressed her lips into a small grin. "So, Spencer, I haven't seen you here in a while. Not that I've been looking or anything. Because I haven't." She paused. "Not a lot." Morgan smirked.

"I was away for work," Reid explained. "

"Oh, where do you work?"

"We work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI." Cait's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. Reid was accustomed to reactions like this, but seeing it on her made him acutely uncomfortable.

"We catch the bad guys," Morgan filled in, feeling that his man Reid needed a little help. Cait nodded, her eyes returning to their normal size.

"Well, this is unexpected," she said. "I'm talking to two bonafide FBI agents." She paled for a moment and said, "Oh God, you're not here to arrest me or something are you? Like this has all been some elaborate ruse to get me alone and then send me to the slammer?"

Morgan smirked. "You do anything to warrant us sending you to the slammer?"

She paused for a moment. "Not that I can think of."

"Then I think you're safe."

She blushed as he laughed lightly at her expense. "Right, that was silly of me. I'm sorry. I tend to overreact."

"No problem."

The barista placed Cait's drink on the counter and she grabbed it, wincing a bit when she brushed the portion of the cup without the paper slip. "Hot," she breathed out. "Well, it's been great meeting you Derek."

"Yes, it's been a pleasure not arresting you."

She grinned softly. "And Spencer, wonderful seeing you."

She walked away and slipped through the doorway, crossing the street to a small bookstore. Morgan shook his head as she walked away and said, "Well, Reid, I didn't think it was possible but I have been proven wrong."

Reid had also been watching her retreat and looked at Morgan oddly. "Hm?"

"There actually is someone more awkward than you."

"She's not that bad," Reid answered immediately, feeling an instinctive protectiveness creep up. Awkward people must unite.

"No, it's a good thing," Morgan said. "That means this won't be too hard."

"I'm not following," Reid said, eyes narrowed in confusion. "What won't be too hard?"

"Getting you a lady."

"I can get myself a lady." Derek gave him a look. "I can try, at least."

"She's pretty."

"Yeah," Reid said carefully, knowing fully where his friend was going with this. The direction made him uncomfortable.

"You could do a lot worse."

"She doesn't think of me that way."

"She couldn't stop looking at you. Even with me next to you, and that's saying something, man."

"Maybe she doesn't go for the tight gym-type."

Morgan smirked. "Every girl goes for the tight gym-type. But she prefers you. Interesting, very interesting."

Their drinks came up and Morgan grabbed them both, holding Reid's out of reach as he said, "Okay man, you gotta promise me you'll pursue that."

"Give me my coffee!" Reid complained. They had a long interview ahead and he needed his caffeine.

"Tell me you'll follow through with her."

"What do you expect me to do?" he huffed. "Just go and ask her out?"

"Not a bad idea."

"Morgan, I really need my coffee." Morgan hesitated for a moment but then handed it over to him, laughing lightly. Reid took it greedily, shooting him a look.

"You shouldn't let her slip away," Morgan advised him.

"Yes, yes I know," Reid said hurriedly. "Can we please go to the interview?"

"You'd rather talk with a serial killer than discuss your love life?"

"Yes," Reid said immediately. Serial killers he understood. The feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought of Cait, he did not. Morgan laughed and said, "You got it bad, man. You have definitely got it bad."

* * *

><p>Cait walked into <em>Bibliomaniacs<em>, feeling her nerves finally release once she knew there were two doors closed firmly between her and Spencer Reid. She had been a complete idiot, bringing up the whole thing about them arresting her. It was just like her to jump to some ridiculous conclusion and embarrass herself. At least that Derek Morgan had laughed it off. She couldn't read Spencer's reaction.

"Talk to your lover boy?" her friend Mary asked from the register. Both her and Mary owned the store together. She had confided in Mary the moment she first noticed Spencer and her friend had mocked her ever since.

"Yes and embarrassed myself, per usual. Sometimes I wish I could just shut my mouth."

"Yeah, have to agree with you there."

Cait sat heavily on the bench beside Mary, sipping at her coffee. A customer came in and asked for help finding a Tolstoy. Cait, who knew every nook and cranny of the store, led the customer to the aisle, pointing out the books. When she made her way back to the register Mary told her, "You need to get him here."

"Here?"

"Yeah, in the store. This is your turf. You're more comfortable."

"I wouldn't be if I invited him here."

"You don't invite, you suggest. You said he's a reader, right?"

"Yeah."

Mary gave her an obvious look, which she found completely non-obvious. Mary did this all of time, thinking that Cait could pick up a train of thought without it being fully vocalized. No, she could not read Mary's mind. Nor did she want to. "He likes books, Cait. It shouldn't be that hard to get him to a bookstore. And you've told me about the stuff he reads. Our store is perfect for him."

"I don't know, Mar."

"Just talk it up a bit. I give it one week tops before he is here."

"Brief time line," Cait noted.

"You're suggesting an acquaintance checks out your bookstore located across the street from where he has coffee. It should take you a day."

The Tolstoy customer approached the register and Mary said, "I'll take this." Cait wandered across the store, picking up books here and there that previous customers had discarded. As she shelved them she thought about why she was opposed to Spencer seeing the bookstore. She wasn't against the general idea of him visiting her workplace. They had a good collection and she genuinely thought he would enjoy himself. It was the type of place he would like; in the brief time they had known each other, it was something she was sure of. It was what it represented that gave her pause.

Right now their relationship was fragile. It relied wholly on the coffee shop and chance. That was the sole playing ground and there was a relief in that. Only there did she have to worry about seeing him; everywhere else she could relax. If he came to the bookstore, all of that would change. Visiting where she worked was something tangible. Hell, it was the start of something even. If she were being completely honest, she didn't know if she was prepared for that.

**A/N: And the angst thickens. Hope you guys liked Morgan in this. I think him meddling in Reid's love life would be hilarious to watch. The few times I've seen it play out in the show I have been thoroughly amused. Next chapter will land Cait with the entire Criminal Minds gang. You won't want to miss it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Remember how I haven't updated in a bagillion years? Well, luckily I have a chapter of epic proportion to make up for that. Hope you enjoy!**

**Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?**

Derek considered not telling the rest of team about Reid's coffee shop Casanova. It really wasn't any of his business and the ribbing that he extolled himself toward the young Dr. Reid was probably sufficient. He had considered himself all the way to not telling until he ran into the ball-of-fire Penelope Garcia and the words spilled out of his mouth.

"Reid has a girl?" Penelope breathed out. "Does he even know what to do with her?"

Derek laughed. "He doesn't have her yet but he has it bad. So does she."

"What's the issue then? It'll be good for him to have some normal female contact."

"What's the issue?" Derek proposed with raised eyebrows. Penelope snorted and answered, "Right, stupid question. So, he really won't do anything?"

"Uh huh."

"He has a cute little female after him and he won't do anything?" Derek nodded. "Alright, clear you schedule after five gorgeous. We've got some work to do."

* * *

><p>Derek and Penelope parked in front of Cait's bookstore, Penelope bursting out of the car excitedly. Derek moved to her side and she grabbed his arm and hissed, "Okay, I take the lead in there okay?"<p>

"I thought this was just some reconnaissance, Garcia."

"Oh it is," she affirmed with a firm nod. "But I've seen your effect on women, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Add your gun holster and badge. Panties dropping across county lines. We need to keep her firmly in Reid-central."

"Believe me, she is 100 percent batting for Reid's team."

Garcia glanced up at Derek and asked, "Even with the dimples?"

Morgan smirked. "Yeah, baby doll, even with the dimples."

"Damn, he has a hold on this girl. Well, let's go meet her." She put on her game face and said. "Prepare yourself for some hardcore Garcia judging, Derek Morgan."

Garcia strode into the bookstore, Derek shaking his head momentarily before setting off behind her. Bells jingled happily as the front door open, drawing the attention of the woman behind the counter. She wasn't Cait, which Derek told Garcia with a slight shake of his head.

"Hi, welcome to Bibliomaniacs."

"Hello," Garcia chirped, while Derek dipped his head in greeting.

"Can I help you find anything?"

"No, just looking around," Penelope answered brightly. Derek echoed much the same as he wandered over toward one of the aisles. Penelope followed, leaning in close as she whispered, "Well, what do we do now?"

"She might be across the street," Derek said. "She mentioned she goes there a lot."

"Maybe looking for our illustrious Dr. Reid?" Penelope proposed with a gamey grin, knocking her elbow convivially against Derek's arm.

"Maybe…" he said, trailing off when he recognized a certain brunette female shelving books across the store. "Hey, she's over there."

Penelope whipped around to get a view of the girl, nearly knocking over a display of books next to her with her purse. She turned back to Derek with a wide grin as she excitedly hissed, "Oh, she's cute! Okay, you need to take me over there and make the introduction."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to do any of the talking."

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't very well walk over there myself and work my magic. You do the introductions and then I will take over."

"What do you mean work your magic? I sense an ulterior motive."

"Oh please Mr. Hot-Shot-Profiler, you should have sensed it about three hours ago. Come on, let's go. Chop chop!"

The pair walked toward Cait, Penelope nearly shaking with excitement. Cait was attempting to reshelf a book on the top shelf, her height-challenged-self having a bit of difficulty with reaching the shelf. Derek stepped beside her and said, "Let me help with that."

She glanced over at him and her face relaxed into a friendly smile as she breathed out, "Derek, hi."

Derek took the book from her and easily slid it into the spot it had been positioned. Cait laughed a bit, brushing her bangs away from her eyes as she quipped, "It's a wonder what a few inches can do."

"You have a great store here," Derek said.

"Thanks. It's not much but we do well enough."

"You seem to have a pretty good business." Penelope cleared her throat loudly beside Derek. He smirked, taking a beat for Cait to glance awkwardly toward his blonde friend before saying, "This is Penelope Garcia. She is the BAU's tech queen."

"I prefer goddess," Penelope answered brightly. "But I'll take queen. Your store is pretty cool. I see lots of old binding. I approve."

"We like them old," Cait said. "Books that is. I'm Cait, by the way."

"You're the one who spilled the coffee on Reid," Penelope filled in. "You were the talk of our office."

"Oh, well, that's nice. I think."

"Very nice. We're always game for some humor. Especially when it involves Reid."

"Where is Spencer?" Cait asked delicately. "Working?"

"No, we have the rest of the day off. Slow week for cases," Penelope said. She paused for a moment and Derek glanced toward her, knowing full well what a pause and Penelope Garcia meant. She was concocting some plan. Before he could intercede she said, "We're actually having a little get together tonight at my apartment. I'm cooking-"

"You are?" Derek interrupted. He had never heard of Penelope cooking anything. Even popcorn.

"Ye of little faith," Penelope tossed of airily. "Yes, I am cooking and you all will leave with very happy tummies. You should come, Cait."

Cait looked uncomfortable as she said, "Oh, I don't know…"

"Come on, the more the merrier," Penelope gushed. "And I'm sure Reid would be happy to see you."

The last part was an obvious plug, but Cait blushed regardless. She tucked her hair behind her ears and mumbled, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. And I don't have plans for tonight."

"Then it's settled," Penelope said excitedly. She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. Before she had a chance to rifle through her purse for a pen Derek handed her one and said, "Save you the trouble."

"An absolute god amongst men," she quipped, flashing him a quick grin before scrawling down her address and phone number. She handed it over to Cait. "Dinner will be served around seven!"

"Okay, I will be there at seven then."

"Fantastic. Well, I need to get cooking. Enchiladas don't make themselves! See you at seven!"

Cait waved goodbye to them as they slipped out of the store. The minute the door shut Derek asked, "Does any of the team know about this little get together?"

"We'll call them on the way to my apartment," Penelope said promptly. They slid into the car and she asked, "So, any chance you know how to make enchiladas?"

* * *

><p>The team minus Reid assembled itself in Penelope's living room, talking through the night's forthcoming events much like they would with a case. It was established that neither Penelope, Morgan, nor any other team member knew how to make enchiladas. Luckily, Rossi was more than happy to step in with a baked penne.<p>

"Taking one for the team," Penelope lauded happily, patting Rossi's on the arm.

"Hey, our boy here has a chance to connect with a woman who isn't fictional or inflatable. Nothing gives him a better chance than my baked penne. I won over two of my ex wives with it."

Prentiss and Hotch exchanged a look.

"When is Reid getting here again?" Prentiss asked.

"Should be here any minute," Penelope said. Rossi had wandered back into the kitchen and she called out, "How is the baked penne looking? Ready to serve? I'm starving!"

The rest of the team mumbled similar sentiments and Rossi called back, "Still a bit to go. You can't rush a masterpiece!"

"So, did anyone actually tell Reid that this girl is coming tonight?" J.J. asked. Penelope answered with pointed silence. "Well, then this should be interesting."

* * *

><p>Reid had been happily catching up on the documentaries loaded in his DVR when he got the phone call from Morgan. His initial thought was that he had no interest in going to one of Garcia's random dinner parties. As far as he knew, the woman had zero cooking abilities and knowing full well the various ways a meal could go poorly (and end poorly, too) he thought it perhaps safer to stay in his home with properly cooked dinners. Morgan pressed though and eventually Reid gave in, promising to stay for at least an hour.<p>

"I think you'll end up having a pretty good time man," Derek had tossed in at the end of the conversation. Reid knew instinctually that this was a leading statement but couldn't find the energy to pursue it. Instead he simply said he would be there at seven and hung up the phone.

Several cars were lined up in front of Garcia's apartment and he frowned when a small silver Prius slid into the last nearby spot. He parked a bit down the street and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he walked down to her apartment.

He recognized all the cars but the Prius and took a momentary glance as he saw the driver was still seated behind the wheel. He stopped short when he recognized Cait who was fixing her makeup in the mirror. He knew he shouldn't be staring but couldn't help himself from watching her primp. She pulled her hair into a bun only to shake it out over her shoulders. She pulled it back once more. Shook it out again. The routine repeated several times before she finally settled on hair loose around her shoulders and she climbed out of her car. She spotted him remarkably quickly and fumbled a bit on her way out of the car. Her purse dropped onto the grass and the contents spilled from the open mouth.

She was on her hands and knees gathering the wayward lip gloss and change and he crouched down beside her to help. "You really should keep this thing closed," he advised.

"I'll, uh, remember that for next time."

She shoved the rest of the items in her purse and stood up, hoisting the bag sloppily over her shoulder. He wiped his hands on the front of his pants and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Your friend invited me."

"My friend?"

"Penelope Garcia. Her and Derek came to the bookstore. She said that you had this get together tonight and invited me."

"That's strange," Reid said. "I just found out about this an hour ago."

"She said she was making enchiladas."

"Yeah, Morgan told me about that. I wouldn't eat them if I were you. Food borne illnesses are very common with novice chefs."

She nodded. "So, uh, want to head in?"

Reid thought this fair and nodded, gesturing for her to forge the way to the front door first as he took up the rear. They walked into the apartment building and made their way up the stairs to Penelope's apartment. He noticed that she hesitated for a moment before rapping her knuckles against the door. Penelope answered immediately, opening the door with a flourish.

"Cait, hello!" Penelope trilled. Her eyes widened gleefully when she saw Reid. "And look who's with you."

"Oh, we didn't come together," Cait babbled, walking past Penelope into the apartment. "We came separately."

"In separate cars," Reid added.

Rossi smirked. "So you came separately, in _separate_ cars. Got it."

"Cait, let me introduce you to everyone," Penelope said, taking a hold of the girl's elbow and dragging her into the center of the BAU group. She introduced each of the members, saving Rossi for last. "This man is making possibly the most delicious baked penne for all of us."

"I thought you were making enchiladas," Reid said.

"Yes, about that. Turns out I have no idea how to make enchiladas despite my spicy Latina heritage."

Morgan snorted.

A timer sounded from the kitchen and Rossi disappeared from the room, tossing over his shoulder, "You guys should get to the table. It's show time!"

"He's really excited about this baked penne," Prentiss noted.

As they settled around the table Penelope lent a critical eye to the seating arrangement, shooing JJ to another seat quietly when she saw that Cait would be left sitting between Prentiss and Hotch. She watched everyone fall in place and then Reid awkwardly gesture to the seat beside him and say, "Cait, you can sit here."

"He doesn't bite," Prentiss assured her with a slight grin. Reid looked somewhat affronted as he sputtered, "Of course I don't."

"This seat is fine," Cait murmured quietly, plopping down on the seat, looking to both sides momentarily before directing her gaze to her empty plate. A moment later Rossi scooped a large serving on baked penne onto the white ceramic and happily topped it off with an exuberant, "_Mangia!"_

"That means eat in Italian," Reid filled in, noting the look of mild confusion on Cait's face.

"Oh, that makes sense."

"So Cait, what do you do?" Hotch asked casually, figuring the girl who was shrinking more and more into the back of her chair wouldn't mind a little fodder for conversation. His assumption proved true as she relaxed slightly and answered, "I own a book store in the city. You probably haven't heard of it. It's called Bibliomaniacs?"

"I've been there before," Prentiss cut in, nodding her head appreciatively. "You guys have a great architecture section."

Derek snorted. "Architecture?"

"Hey, I'm entitled to have some layers."

"Where is it at?" Hotch continued, guiding the conversation.

"Oak and Pearson," Reid filled in. "It's across from Harpers Café."

"Ah, your favorite haunt," Rossi said.

"It's not my favorite," Reid interjected. "Nor is it my haunt considering that I am a living person who is incapable of haunting."

"It's just a saying, Reid," Rossi said with a bit of a smile. "Anyway, how are you all enjoying the baked penne?"

"It's delicious," Cait said genuinely.

"Yeah," Prentiss threw in. "I don't know how anyone could divorce you after eating this."

Noticing the widening of Cait's eyes Rossi told her, "I'm not the best at matrimony."

She nodded, at a loss of a response besides, "But you make a mean baked penne."

He grinned. "That I do."

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Penelope asked JJ as they cleaned dishes, glancing back hurriedly at Reid and Cait sitting on the couch. The rest of the team was lounging in her living room, enjoying some coffee before they headed out for the night. One sharp jab to Derek Morgan's side had made him promise that he got Cait and Reid on the couch and she was pleased to see that bodily harm was still effective.<p>

"I like her," JJ said. "She's nice."

"She's perfect," Penelope breathed out, grinning wide. "And I think tonight went well."

"Well you've certainly been pushing them together enough," JJ said indulgently.

"Sometimes people need a little nudge."

"It's a bit more like a shove in your case."

"What can I say? I want those two crazy kids to be happy-preferably together."

"Maybe we should let them settle that? Without meddling?"

Penelope looked at her as if JJ had proposed involving circus animals. "Excuse me? Without meddling?" She reached forward and pressed a hand to JJ's forehead. "Could a feverish delusion be prompting this inability to understand that meddling is what I do? I am Penelope Garcia and meddling is my specialty."

JJ laughed, swatting away her hand. "Fine, meddle away. Just try not to be too obvious with it all."

"Me obvious?" Garcia trilled, flicking a crumb off her lime green sweater set. "Never."

* * *

><p>"Alright, thank you all for coming!" Penelope said, standing to the side of the doorway as she watched the team plus Cait leave. "And Cait, it was wonderful having you here. You should come to our next dinner, too!"<p>

"Our next dinner? How many more of these are we going to have?" Reid said.

"Listen to him, talking like we never do this," Penelope teased.

"That's because we don't-"

"Okay, enough talking," Penelope interrupted. "You all just have a safe trip home."

Derek moved past her and patted her arm as he leaned in and whispered, "Real smooth, baby girl."

"Oh shut up," she hissed back.

The group made their way out of the apartment, Reid falling into step beside Cait. She stopped suddenly and he turned back toward her and asked, "Everything okay?"

"I left my scarf in Penelope's apartment," she said, thinking that was just the sort of thing she would do. She was always leaving things places. Sunglasses. Scarves. Even an entire tray of cookies once.

"Oh, I'll…uh…wait for you."

"You don't have to."

"It's not the safest area," Reid supplied. "Garcia was shot herself here a few years back."

Cait's eyes widened. "Goodness, should you really be staying out here then?"

"Oh, the shooting really wasn't anything to worry about," he said hurriedly, wondering why he had to bring up such an useless excuse for waiting for her. "The shooting was pretty targeted."

Cait's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Okay, well, I'll be right back."

He felt like an idiot waiting for her at the steps of Garcia's apartment, but throughout dinner he couldn't help but notice that he and Cait were pushed together at every opportunity. It was no doubt the product of classic Penelope Garcia meddling, but he oddly found himself not bothered in the least by the clear subterfuge. He liked Cait. She was intelligent and well read. She held her own among his friends and smelled like peonies. She completely terrified him yet at the same time felt like someone he had known for years. Everything about her seemed to muddle his senses, and for this alone he waited for her at the steps of Garcia's apartment.

She returned quickly, scarf wound securely around her neck. A shy smile pulled at her lips as she said, "Thank you for waiting."

"It was no trouble." They began walking toward her car and he said, "So…I was thinking…"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to meet up at Harpers some time?"

"We do that fairly often as it is," she answered immediately.

Reid chuckled. "Yes, that's true. This time, though, maybe we could share a table. I might even pay for your drink."

Her eyes widened and she stammered, "Pay for my drink?"

"Unless you find that demeaning. In that case you could pay for your drink but we could still share a table."

She smiled, tucking her chin down momentarily as she tried to hide the color in her cheeks. She glanced back up at him, warmth spreading in the base of her belly as she saw the eager look in his eyes. "I'd like that, Spencer. I'd like that a lot."

His mouth pulled into a wide grin. "Well, great."

"Great," she echoed.

Both laughed awkwardly for a moment before Reid came to his senses and reached forward to open her car door for her. She stepped back, dipping her head into a quick gesture of thanks before ducking into the car. As he shut the door he said, "Have a safe trip home."

"You too, Spencer."

She didn't watch him get into his car, although a part of her really wanted to. Instead, she shifted her car into drive and pulled away from Garcia's apartment, reminding herself not to show any sort of expression while she passed him. She needed to remain cool. Yes, Spencer Reid had seemingly asked her out but that was no reason to get all whiggy. When she joined the night's traffic, though, she let her mouth pull into a wide grin.

This was a good night.


End file.
